


Fire and Ice

by Paige242



Category: Superman & Lois (TV 2021)
Genre: Gen, an old friend returns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 03:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30133155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paige242/pseuds/Paige242
Summary: In their final year of High School, an old friend returns and stirs up some trouble for the Superboys.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is really inspired by 1x04. I don't want to say too much more, but I think they may have made some mistakes that could backfire.  
> Set three years in the future.  
> Let me know what you think! I'm planning a two-chapter fic.

Jon stood off to the side, pouring himself a drink as he watched his classmates mingle.

He wasn’t the biggest fan of school dances, but this was his last year of High School and he’d decided to make the most of it by partaking in every ‘normal’ activity he could. He’d tagged along with Sarah and Jordan this time, the perpetual (but very welcomed) third wheel. It wasn’t that he couldn’t get a date if he wanted one—quite the opposite, really. He knew from his unintentional eavesdropping (super hearing was a blessing and a curse) that most girls at Smallville High would have happily gone with him.

Girls had a tendency to whisper and giggle whenever he walked past.

But the truth was, he’d never really felt a deep connection with anyone there and he couldn’t really be bothered to put on a show for the sake of a date that night.

His whole life had felt like a bit of a show for the past four years. Ever since they had found out the big family secret. The popular care-free boy from Metropolis had never really returned after that. It wasn’t that he was unhappy now, but he had definitely become more disconnected from the day-to-day bustle. It was hard not to when you had to mask a huge part of who you were every time you went out in public. 

He much preferred the quieter things now. Weekends on the farm, racing his dad across the fields, lazy days with Sarah and Jordan, family camping trips. He often found himself yearning for places where he could just relax—and school was not one of those places. 

It was lucky, he realized, that he had a built-in best friend at his side through all of this. He and Jordan had always been close, but the big reveal had brought them even closer together. Sure, there had been rocky patches, but they were always there for each other when it mattered. And Jordan was the only person alive who knew exactly what it felt like to grow up as a Kryptonian-human hybrid. His brother had been the first to go through changes, but Jon’s hope of normalcy had come crashing down about a year later when he’d accidentally run into a pile of hay bales at supersonic speed.

He’d done his best to keep up with football after that but, unfortunately, he’d had to accept that his childhood dreams were over. He would never go pro, it simply wasn’t ethical with his bourgeoning abilities. And after too many close calls due to his rapidly increasing strength, his brother had stepped down too.

No one (least of all Coach Gains) could understand why the Kent prodigies had quit so abruptly and they’d received a lot of flack. But there really had been no other choice.

It hadn’t stung as much as Jon had expected, really. Sure, he’d been a bit aimless at first but he also had a surprising knack for academics and had found himself more focused on that in recent years. His stellar grades meant he could probably look forward to a free-ride at a prestigious school and he was quite pleased about that.

As he continued to look around the crowded low-lit room, it struck him that—this time next year—he’d probably be miles away, reinventing himself once more.

Smallville had never really suited him as much as it had suited Jordan. He’d reconciled himself to the situation, but the thought of getting out did bring a smile to his face.

With a sigh, he started scanning the room for his brother, wondering if he’d retired to one of the tables after a few dances.

Before he could locate him, however, he was distracted by the sudden and unexpected sound of his own name.

_“Jonathan Kent.”_

He whipped around, expecting to see someone there, and was surprised to see that no one was looking in his direction.

Could the sound have been from somewhere further away? He had a pretty good handle on his super-hearing now, but there were still times when it could cause some confusion.

_“Jonathan Kent, I wonder if you can hear me.”_

There was something oddly familiar about the voice, but he could not quite figure out what it is.

_“I’d love to have a little reunion with the Kent boys in the locker rooms if you’re up for it. I’m here, waiting. There are so many great memories in this room…and I’d rather not cause a scene at the dance.”_

Jon felt his pulse quicken.

He still had no idea who was speaking, but there was an unsettling darkness in the tone. Whoever it was wanted him and Jordan to meet them in a quiet area—there was almost no chance that it was for something good.

It never was, in their family.

But it didn’t feel like he could ignore it either. This person seemed to know where they were, and it was better to have a confrontation away from the prying eyes of their classmates, for the good of all.

He briefly wondered if he should call for their dad but decided to hold off for now. This wouldn’t be the first time that they’d handled a threat. Jordan was a force to be reckoned with nowadays, and Jon could hold his own. Plus they could always call once they had a chance to assess the situation.

Finally, he spotted his brother. He was still dancing with Sarah but Jon hastily made his way over, his serious expression alerting his brother that something was up before he even spoke.

Sarah instantly caught on too. She’d known about their family for a while now and this was not the first time a night had been interrupted.

“Kent business?” She asked as he stopped in front of him.

Jon nodded and Jordan looked concerned.

“There is someone in the locker room. He must know about my hearing somehow because he was talking to me,” he paused, letting out a tense sigh, “I think we should check it out. I need you, Jor.”

Super hearing and super speed weren’t the most useful powers in a fight, unfortunately, but they were currently all Jon had. Jordan had strength, invulnerability and heat vision and was yet to meet a foe he could not subdue.

“Any idea who it is?” Jordan asked, letting go of Sarah as he turned towards his twin.

“No,” Jon confessed worriedly, “I realize this could be a trap, but he said something about causing a scene in the gym. I don’t think we have a ton of time, we need to sort this out before it escalates.”

He watched as Jordan gave his girlfriend a quick kiss, “I’ll be back soon, promise.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be here,” she replied, “go kick some ass.”

xxxxxxxxxx

They paused at the locker room door, exchanging a wary look. Moments like these were always hard— knowing that you were walking into an unknown danger was not a great feeling.

“Shame neither of us has x-ray vision yet,” Jordan muttered quietly, his eyes fixating on the door.

“Yup,” Jon agreed. He’d been thinking the exact same thing. There were times when it definitely would have come in handy.

“I’ll go first, just in case,” Jordan said before grabbing the handle.

A second later, he pushed open the door.

The room was dark. And, for a hopeful moment, Jon thought that the place was empty. But then, there was a slow movement in a shady corner and both brothers looked over, instantly on high alert.

“Well, you did hear me,” a cold voice said.

The familiarity struck him again but he still couldn’t place it. Maybe it was one of dad’s old foes, someone they’d faced before.

“Are you going to hide from us or do you actually want to talk?” Jordan shot back, glaring dangerously towards the sound. Jon knew exactly what his brother’s eyes were capable of.

The figure took another step and, this time, the moonlight struck him.

It took all of Jon’s willpower not to stumble back in surprise. This was not what he had been expecting and he was shocked to see someone who hadn’t crossed his mind in years. 

“Tag Harris?” the name left his mouth before he could think and he knew that he had unintentionally satisfied the intruder with his show of disbelief.

No one had seen their former teammate in years—not since his kryptonite infection had given him powers and the DOD had shipped him off to a top-secret school. There had been a lot of whispers after he had left. Some theorized he was away for rehab, others wondered if his parents had somehow lost custody of him due to their well-known money troubles.

Only Jon and Jordon had known the truth.

Jon had seen Mr. and Mrs. Harris around town over the years, looking forlorn, and he’d been sad to learn that Mr. Harris had died in a terrible car crash last fall.

But, even though Tag had been one of the first friends he’d made here, the thought of him had admittedly faded. And he certainly hadn’t expected him to turn up in the school locker rooms that night.

“Ah, so you do remember me,” the boy sneered, taking another step towards the brothers. His body language was menacing and it was clear that he hadn’t come for a happy reunion.

“I figured that I probably wasn’t important enough to make it onto your radar,” he continued, his anger growing with each passing moment, “I thought I was just collateral damage in your selfish little world. A mere mortal to the demi-gods.”

Jon furrowed his brow, unsure why Tag assumed they were so dismissive. “Of course not,” he began earnestly, taken aback by the hostility the boy seemed to have towards them, “I’m glad to see you’re okay, Tag.”

The other boy snorted in response. “Okay?” he said, letting out a short bitter laugh, “I am far from okay, Kent. I spent the last three and a half years _locked up_. I was poked and prodded constantly, tested and put on display as a freak,” he paused, drawing a shaky breath, “I missed my own father’s funeral. They didn’t even fucking tell me he’d died!”

“I’m so sorry, Tag. That’s awful,” Jon tried again. He felt truly terrible to hear that and he could only imagine how hellish it must have been for his former friend. Their grandfather had made the school sound like a decent place, but maybe it wasn’t. It certainly sounded more like a government lab than anything else. A miserable place to be.

He shuddered at the thought.

“Spare me the platitudes,” the teen scoffed, “I’m not an idiot and when I was imprisoned I had a hell of a lot of time to think things through.”

A tense pause hung in the air. He felt Jordan steady himself at his side, subtly readying for an attack. 

“I remember that night,” Tag continued, looking back and forth between them before setting his sights on Jordan, “even though I had lost control I heard you say that you caused my infection. By causing that explosion at the bonfire with heat vision. I remember when you put your hands on me, how strong they felt,” he laughed again, “I was stronger, though, wasn’t I? _I_ was stronger than Superman’s son.”

The final words seemed to echo through the room and Jon felt his stomach flop uncomfortably as he allowed everything to sink in.

_Superman’s son._

Tag had figured it out. And Jon had a feeling that nothing good was going to come of it. He clearly had years of pent-up resentment that were threatening to overflow.

“Look, Tag, it really sucks that you had to go through all that,” Jordan piped in this time. Jon could tell that he was just as shaken but he was a good actor. Better than him. To any onlooker, he would have appeared as calm as ever, “but you must have been seeing things that night. I’m sure it was a pretty overwhelming experience, and we all make mistakes sometimes.”

This did nothing to appease him or raise the least bit of doubt.

“Really, Kent?” Tag spat, giving Jordan a once over, “are you seriously going to stand there in those stupid glasses looking _exactly_ like your damn father and expect me to take that crap?”

Jordan didn’t flinch but Jon felt his hopes sink even further. The guy had a point—Jordan had started looking like their dad more and more with each passing year and he’d recently adopted their father’s deceptively simple disguise. He wasn’t thrilled about it, but he understood the necessity.

They had to do everything they could to avoid situations exactly like these.

“And you,” he set his sights back on Jon, “I always thought you were a cool guy, Jon. Nice, normal. But that night I remember you shouting out the word dad and, next thing I knew, the caped crusader was carrying me up to the clouds before dropping me off at some sort of army base. I didn’t get to say goodbye to anyone. In an instant, my life was _over_. And all that bastard did was smile and tell me that I’d be safe there,” Tag paused. “He never even came back to check on me. I guess I shouldn’t have expected more. How could Superman understand human feelings and needs? He’s far too alien. And so are both of you.”

Jon felt a wave of nausea wash over him and he could see Jordan clench his fists at his side. He had definitely struck a nerve, especially with his brother. Being branded an alien was one of his greatest fears.

He hated the word.

“What do you want, Tag?” Jordan said, his voice dangerously low.

It was impossible not to be reminded of their father in those moments. Jordan had the uncanny ability to stare down an assailant in exactly the same way.

Even though his glasses remained on, he was no longer just Jordan Kent in that moment.

Bravely, the other teen simply stared back.

“I can’t have what I want,” Tag scoffed, “I want the last three years back. I want my father back. And, most of all, I want to live in a world where freak accidents like mine can’t happen,” he took another step forward, careful and deliberate, showing that he wasn’t afraid of them, “beings with unimaginable power shouldn’t just be allowed to show up on our planet and use it like their own personal playground. We are not playthings that you can simply toss aside when we get damaged.”

As if to demonstrate, Tag allowed a jolt of energy to run through his body and they watched as he zipped back and forth across the room. 

He definitely had more control than he had on that first night, but it wasn’t anything like Jon’s speed. There was a certain wildness too it.

It was more…unnatural.

Jon was made for these powers. Tag wasn’t.

“I will never lead a normal life because you had a little accident and infused me with a dangerous substance from your home planet,” he began again, sights back on Jordan. “Then your all-powerful father swept in to clean up your little mistake.”

“So you’ve cooked up this story and, what, you want revenge now?” Jordan pressed, squaring his shoulders as he continued to stare the other teen down, “if we are who you say we are, do you really think it will be that easy?”

“I didn’t come here to kill you,” Tag replied, still refusing to back down, “but I needed to face you and I wanted you to know that your days here are numbered. I am not alone. There are many, many people like me who want you and your kind off our planet. All your accidents. All of the things that have fallen to earth…they’ve inadvertently helped to create an army of humans who are finally strong enough to stand up to you. It is only a matter of time.”

It seemed that the boy had finally finished what he had to say but he continued to look at the brothers, a fierce determination in his eyes. Jon could feel his heart pounding—he had no idea what to do. He didn’t want to hurt the guy—as warped as he had become, he had been through enough.

Tag’s characterization of them was completely wrong but Jon could understand why he’d grown to feel this way. He had been at the wrong place at the wrong time and it had thrown his life on a completely different path. And none of it would have happened if they hadn’t been in Smallville that day.

“Tag, you need help,” Jon said gently, taking a cautious step forward his hands raised as if to show he meant no harm, “we can help you figure something out.”

“No way in hell,” the other boy hissed in response. He seemed insulted by the mere suggestion. “I know what your family's idea of help looks like. I will not let you lock me up again.”

Jon could see another jolt overcoming him and he watched as Tag bolted towards the door, perhaps to escape.

He was fast—but Jon was faster.

Jon got there first and slammed it shut. Maybe it had been too impulsive, and he realized that he had just confirmed all of Tag’s theories about who they were, but he knew in his gut that they couldn’t let him leave.

“Fuck you,” his former friend said, looking up to meet his eyes with a combination of shock and rage.

He hated that this is where they had ended up. He hated everything about this horrible situation.

Jon felt a sudden hand on his arm and, next thing he knew, a terrible bone shaking vibration ran through him and he was flung back against the wall with a loud thud. A regular person probably would have been injured by the crash, and he did feel a brief pain, but Jon had an abnormally high tolerance. It wasn’t full invulnerability yet, but it definitely helped.

He stumbled back to his feet just in time to see Jordan shove Tag back. He didn’t use his full strength, but it was enough to shake the lockers and send a variety of items crashing down to the floor. 

Tag slumped over for a moment and Jon hoped that it had been enough to knock him out and buy them some time. But unfortunately, it wasn’t. Tag was back up in a matter of seconds, his body once again shaking dangerously as his powers surged forward.

He rushed back towards Jordan who caught him this time, holding on to both his wrists with a fierce confidence in his blue eyes. It was like seeing another classic flash of dad. Jon found it both calming and unnerving at the same time.

Tag tried pulling away but it quickly became apparent that Jordan far outmatched him now.

He had no hope.

“Why don’t you just do it, Superboy?” Tag pressed, keeping his head held high, “I know what you’re capable of. Just finish what you started three years ago. Put me out of my misery, I don’t fucking want this life.” 

“Well, we have that in common, at least,” Jordan replied, his hands still firmly restraining their assailant, “but sometimes things get thrown our way and we need to find ways to manage. You can find a way, Tag. Your life isn’t over.”

This only served to anger the boy even further. “Bullshit,” he declared forcefully, “you sound as delusional as your ridiculous father. He’s trained you well, hasn’t he? I bet he’s thrilled that the next generation of extra-terrestrial freaks is out there fighting now,” he let out a dry laugh, one that sent a sudden shiver down Jon’s spine. “Enjoy it while it lasts, little god” he began again in a mocking tone, his eyes locked on the dark-haired twin. “This isn’t your world, Jordan. You were never meant to be here and you will _never_ be one of us. You can hide behind the stupid glasses all you want but they can’t mask those Kryptonian eyes. The world is going to know the truth one day. Soon.”

Jordan managed to keep up a stony façade but when Jon looked up at him he could see the struggle within. Tag was spouting crap to get a rise out of him, and he was certain that Jordan knew that on some level, but the taunts still stung him where it hurt most. Jon knew how it felt to be an outsider. He and Jordan had discussed it many times before and they had both struggled to come to terms with what they were.

Finding out that you weren't as human as you thought at the age of fourteen was not a fate he'd wish on anyone. 

His brother continued to hold on, his grip never wavering, but that didn’t mean that no harm was being done. 

Jon could feel and odd sensation overtake him as he watched the scene, his pity for Tag quickly overtaken by the concern for his brother. Everything the boy was saying applied to him too, of course, and that filled him with all sorts of uncomfortable thoughts— but he’d always had an easier time taking it. Jordan struggled more. He was more like dad— and he’d been struggling with the implications of that for a long time.

“I’m going to laugh when they finally string you up next to your arrogant father,” Tag hissed, a cruel grin crossing his face, “ _alien scum_.”

He could see his brother falter, his face finally conveying some of the hurt and rage he felt.

A hint of red flashed across Jordon’s eyes and Jon felt his entire body chill.

“Just do it! Just fucking kill me!”

The boy was deranged.

And Jordan couldn’t stand there holding him forever.

They had to end this.

He needed to do something.

Anything.

He could feel his own panic growing within.

His whole body felt cold.

Instinctually, suddenly, Jon drew a deep breath and forcefully let it out. He wasn’t sure how he knew that it was going to work—he had never done this before— but something inside of him had snapped. A stream of white mist shot from his mouth, making its way towards Tag’s sneering form.

It encircled him, instantly coating him in a thick layer of ice.

Shocked, Jordan finally let go and allowed Tag’s frozen body to clatter to the floor. The horrible sound of it echoed through the small room as the two brothers locked eyes.

“Holy shit,” Jordan breathed, a combination of surprise, relief and awe on his face, “that’s a new one.”

Jon felt shaky as he gave a slight nod.

“Yeah,” he agreed, looking down at what he had done. His relief was very temporary and he knew that time was of the essence.

“He’ll die if we don’t get him out soon,” he noted grimly. Somewhat frantic, he fumbled for the small silver device that was in his pocket.

It hadn’t felt right to call for their father earlier. Not when there had still been hope of talking Tag off the ledge. The sight of the man he had grown to resent probably would have made things worse.

But now, the time had come.

Jon flicked open the side of the ELT.

“Superman,” he said, no longer repeating the mistakes of the past, “it’s Jon. We need you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And because I love long discussion scenes, here is part 2/2. Let me know what you think :)

Somehow, they always seemed to end up here.

After an eventful night, they would inevitably gather around the Kent family kitchen table and discuss what had transpired.

Today was no exception.

Their dad had come to the school and, after a quick explanation, he’d taken Tag to some sort of holding location. Jon didn’t love it, but he hadn’t been able to think of a better idea and it was pretty clear that Tag was too unstable to leave to his own devices right now.

Jon and Jordan had gone back to the gym to find Sarah after that. As Jordan quietly filled her in, Jon had stood off to the side again, watching his classmates enjoy their night.

It had really struck him in that moment just how far removed they had become from this scene. Teenagers laughed and danced, completely oblivious to what had happened down the hallway just minutes before. In a lot of ways, he envied them. They’d all been having an easy care-free evening while he and his brother faced down an unhinged foe. 

They would never be like everyone else and it felt impossible to turn away from the duties and obligations that came with having powers. No matter how hard it was sometimes. 

He’d looked at Jordan for a long moment in the gym, watching him whisper to Sarah as he pushed his glasses up his angular nose. His dress shirt still looked impeccable and there was barely a hair out of place. To anyone else, he would have simply looked like Jordan Kent, the somewhat shy, occasionally clumsy science wiz.

His brother played the part so well and Jon knew he was the only one who could see through the disguise.

He was the only one who could see the shadow of Superman.

It was a shadow that loomed over them both.

They’d taken Sarah home before heading back to the house. Mom was out, but dad was already sitting at the table and the discussion had now begun.

“He’s okay,” their father explained, referring to Tag’s current status, “he’s back to a regular temperature and resting under observation.” He turned to Jon for a moment, “you did well,” he noted with pride in his tone, “we should work on honing your new power, though. We’ll practice tomorrow at the Fortress.”

Jon nodded. He knew that was coming and he fully expected the coming weekend to be consumed by this new development. Trips to the fortress were pretty commonplace nowadays and Clark preferred training his sons there, far from prying eyes. 

“Sure dad,” he replied, putting up no protest. 

“Can I come too? I’d love to do some studying.”

“Of course!” was Clark’s enthusiastic reply.

Despite the heaviness of the situation, Jon felt a small smile tug at his lips for a moment. His brother was a huge nerd, and he’d started reading every document the Fortress had to offer. His Kryptonian was coming along too, much to their father’s delight. The two had even started practicing conversations in it recently.

Jon knew he should probably put in an effort too, but the inspiration hadn’t really struck. And, as he thought about it right now, he was filled with even more discomfort than usual.

“He hates us, dad,” he said softly, referring back to their former friend. He’d been unable to shake off Tag’s words from earlier that night, and he had seen such absolute dislike in the other boy’s eyes. It had really caught him off guard and shaken him more than he wanted to admit. “He’s convinced that we ruined his life.” 

His father looked towards him, his face etched with understanding and regret.

“I know that it’s hard to face someone like that,” he noted, letting out a soft sigh. Jon could sense that he’d been in very similar situations himself— not that it was a surprise. Their dad had faced countless challenging circumstances over the years. “But we need to remember that everyone is responsible for their own choices. All we can do it try to help them.”

Jon looked down for a moment, wishing that he could simply let it all go. But he knew it was not going to be that easy.

“But,” he began again, his mind replaying some of the terrible moments from earlier that night, “he isn’t completely wrong,” he pointed out, his stomach churning. “If we hadn’t been in town, then the explosion wouldn’t have happened. And his powers were caused by a fragment of Krypton. Because of all that, he was sent away to be studied, cut off from his own family. I mean, I’d be mad too, if it was me. It’s a shitty situation.”

His father nodded in agreement as he considered his reply while Jordan shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Jon knew his brother had felt a lot of guilt about Tag back in the day, and he didn’t want to bring it all rushing back. But he also had to work this through.

They all did.

“You’re right, it is a terrible situation,” Clark agreed, running a hand through his dark hair, “and I have to admit that I didn’t know much about the school he was sent to. Your mother and I are going to look into it, I promise. No one should be treated that way,” he paused for a second, “but even we can’t prevent every accident, Jon. Jordan didn’t know his powers were emerging, and none of knew about the kryptonite in the mines back then. My heart goes out to Tag for everything that happened but, at the end of the day, he was the one who decided to join a hate group. And he was the one who attacked you.”

Jon did his best to accept that response but he still felt unsettled. Dad had a point, but it all struck him as little too dismissive.

Tag’s words echoed in his mind.

 _We are not your playthings_.

“What do you know about that group he mentioned?” Jordan asked curiously. There was concern on his brother’s face as he looked towards their father. “The one that wants to expose us and wipe us out.”

Clark sighed again. “Not a ton, it is all a bit shady right now,” he admitted. “I have heard some grumblings. I think Tag had probably overestimated the scale of it, but he’s not making it up. There are some disaffected metahumans who have an anti-alien agenda. They’ve been calling themselves the AAL— the anti-alien league— and there are some websites advocating the removal of non-terrestrial life, by any means necessary.”

There was a long pause and Jon could tell that his father was hesitating to add more. Finally, he continued.

“Do you remember that attack in Metropolis last month? The one where that Martian girl was killed?”

Both boys nodded. Superman had been too late that time. The newspapers reported that the girl had been killed in a matter of seconds, ambushed by a group of masked attackers.

“That was them?” Jordan asked, eyes widening as he reached his own conclusions.

Clark nodded, recalling the incident with regret. “Yes,” he paused again, “and I’m pretty sure that Tag was there.”

Jon felt queasy at the thought. The boy had said that he hadn’t come to kill them that night, but maybe that was just because he knew he couldn’t. He wanted to believe that Tag wasn’t that far gone, but it felt hard to be optimistic when the teen had been involved in a cold-blooded murder.

“So that’s what they want, then?” Jordan began again, his jaw tightly clenched, “to wipe out all non-human life simply because we exist?” He scoffed, folding his arms across his chest, “that is some serious Nazi-level shit.” 

Jon didn’t disagree and he hated the thought of people being targeted for differences they could not control. He had no say over his own birth and his father had no say over the destruction of Krypton. Earth had become a refuge for so many and, generally, people seemed to accept that other species came in peace. 

Superman had done a lot to help that particular cause. Thanks to his mother’s famous article all those years ago, the world knew where he had come from and his heroics had made a strong case for acceptance.

But there were bound to be some that disagreed. Hating ‘the other’ was a tragic pattern of human history. 

“Don’t worry, it is a very fringe movement and several members have already been caught.”

“He knows we’re Superman’s sons,” Jordan pointed out grimly, “even if he’s locked up, he could still spread that around. And if the wrong people find out…”

Their father’s brow furrowed with worry. “I know,” he said heavily, “I have been contemplating a possible solution to that.”

Jon could not hold back, “what?” he asked curiously. Again, he could sense some reluctance from his dad, but the man had vowed to stop withholding things from them and he made good on his promise.

“The only solution may be erasing his memories,” he said joylessly.

Jon and Jordan exchanged a look before his brother spoke.

“You can do that? How?”

“Kryptonian technology, at the Fortress,” Clark stated, a small frown on his face.

Jon felt his breath hitch in his throat. He had no idea that the fortress could do that and it instantly filled him with great unease. Another one of Tag’s sentences echoed in his mind.

 _A mere mortal to the demi-gods_.

Had the boy been right? As delusional and prejudiced as he was, maybe he wasn’t entirely wrong.

“He called us gods.”

The statement came out before he had time to think about it and his pulse increased as his father and brother looked at him from across the table, confused. 

Jon hesitated, glancing between them. He was struck by how similar they looked in that moment. Identical eyes starring back under dark hair and thick glasses. Chiseled features and broad chests, full of unimaginable strength.

Everyone always went on about how Kent-like Jordan looked nowadays. But his traits had been mislabelled. Genetically, no one at this table was a Kent, no matter how much they wished to be.

No, they were something else entirely.

He could hear the names in the back of his mind.

_Kal-El._

_Jor-El._

_Jon-El._

He was not looking at the faces of ‘mere mortals.’ And, hard as it was to admit at times, he wasn’t one himself.

“Actually, he called you a god,” Jon said, nodding awkwardly towards his father, “he called us demi-gods.”

He wasn’t quite sure where he was headed with this, or why he was dwelling on it, but he continued, unable to shake it away. 

“I don’t know…I get that he was just trying to push our buttons, but isn’t that kind of what we’re doing right now? Playing gods, I mean.”

His father pursed his lips. He didn’t seem upset by the suggestion, but he didn’t look comfortable with it either. Jon wondered if it was something he had contemplated before.

Probably. 

“We’re locking someone up because he doesn’t like us. He’s allowed to have an opinion, right? It’s not blasphemy,” he paused, drawing a deep breath, “and now we’re talking about erasing someone’s memories? The very essence of who they are. What gives us the right to do something like that? If that’s not playing god, then I don’t know what is.”

He watched as his father and brother exchanged a look. Did they already think he was crazy for questioning things? Jon knew he was the weakest link.

The most human of them all.

But maybe he served more of a role than he had ever realized. Maybe he was the one who could keep them tethered to this earth. 

“I’m not a god, Jon, and I never want to be seen that way,” his dad started softly, “but this is serious stuff we’re dealing with and sometimes we all have to make hard decisions. I know that you remember Tag as he used to be but, don’t forget, he’s a very different person than the one you knew. He’s part of a radical hate group and he is wanted as an accomplice to murder. I’m not locking him up because I’m stronger than him, or because I take pleasure in toying with his life. Believe me, I don’t. But he’s dangerous now. He’s a threat to you and he’s a danger to other people like us. If I let him roam free, I wouldn’t be upholding my vow to protect people.”

The teen nodded. Yes, that made sense. Even though he wasn’t perfect, he knew that his father always meant well.

Sometimes, there were just no easy solutions.

“Yeah, I get that,” he said, letting out another breath, “but what about his memories?” No matter what the guy had done, he could not wrap his head around basically erasing his existence.

“I don’t know, Jon,” his father admitted honestly, “it is not an idea I take lightly. Please know that if it happens, it is an absolute last resort. If there is another way to help Tag without putting others in danger, I will.”

Jon had no reason to doubt that.

Qualms aside, he trusted his father.

“It’s getting late,” the man pointed out, glancing at the wall clock, “we should probably get some rest so that we can get an early start at the Fortress tomorrow.”

It was approaching midnight, and Jon had to agree. He was exhausted from the day’s events, and he could tell that his new power had drained his energy. He needed sleep.

And sunlight. 

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

He and Jordan stood up in unison, neither protesting as their father walked around the table and pulled them in for a tight hug.

“I’m so proud of you,” Clark said softly, finally drawing back to give them both a fatherly smile, “you did well.”

Despite it all, Jon felt a swell of happiness inside of him. He had no trouble admitting that, like most people, he yearned for his father’s approval. It felt good, knowing that they had done him proud.

Their family may have been different, but some things were universal. 

“Goodnight, boys,” Clark began again, watching as they made their way towards the stairs, “ _el mayarah._ ”

“ _El mayarah_ ,” they repeated, used to this nightly routine.

It was something their father said often nowadays—an old Kryptonian phrase that had long been associated with their house. Even Jon, with his limited language skills, knew what it meant.

 _Stronger together_.

That was something that Jon would never doubt. 


End file.
